I wouldn't touch a thing until you are consistently shooting beyond the capabilities of the rifle. Having in the neighborhood of 20,000 rounds fired through AI's, I never found a single rifle lacking in any regard.

That's why they cost what they do - all the work is already done for you

20K Ted you must have been living behind that stock for a few years. I put 3,600+ rounds through my M40A1 clone in a year and a half and I thought that was a bunch!!!

Anyway back to the topic at hand. Build it then shoot it first, and see if it needs anything done to it. If you are putting a stock (non-trued) Remy on it I would have the action trued and the lugs lapped, even if you do nothing to the stock other than bolt the barreled action to it.

I have the AI stock on a Remington 700. I'm sure the AI rifles are the real deal but the stock, at least for my purposes, is not the last word. The ergos on it are not great, they are fair for prone but poor for anything else (I could handle poor for everything else if it was outstanding for prone). It weighs a ton. The bedding block that makes it the ultimate instant accurizer for the Remington was out of whack in two directions. The magazine allows for rounds to be loaded a little long, but allows any rounds, long or normal length, to be positioned far enough forward that they hang up on the bottom of the receiver as they try to come up through the window.

I've doctored mine up to address everything but the ergos-- the bedding block is trued, I've taken out some weight, and opened up the receiver so rounds don't hang up. Wasn't much I could do about the outer shape.

I will say that the magazines are great, and the stock is pretty knock-resistant. But I'd never spend $500+ on another one, I'd go more traditional like with a McBros stock. I bought this because it was the ultimate high-zoot Euro-tac piece of kit, but, like the Parker Hale bipod I got for it, I found that "aura" didn't help me that much at the range

Probably not what your looking to hear, but if you want a custom built, very accurate rifle, I'd check out GA Precision for the $$ that you'd spend on an AI you could get ya a GA
http://www.gaprecision.net/

I like exploring the non-standard stuff too, especially if its of Euro origins, but another big disappointment was the Steyr SSG69. Who wants the same smithed Rem 700 everybody else has when you can pay as much or more for some stuff used by some elite foreign special yada yada ya? But-- my feeling now is that if you really need something good, practical, serviceable, accessorizeable, the Rem should come first, and then at leisure, get the other stuff and try it out.

Absolutely no doubt there is some really good Euro-kit out there, wish like hell I could afford to play with it all. Would love to try a Sako TRG in .338.... I think those Lapplanders really know how to build guns and ammo (but, ah, would like to check and make sure).

Recently have had some time with an FNH PS90, the civvy-legal version (5.7X28). Just the look of it triggers an "I want to own it" urge, but once you go deeper there are a lot of little shortcomings that make you think twice (not considering the caliber here).

I love that little FN P90. When I was a tanker I lusted after those pretty hard. Just the thing for a armored crewman to use to shoo the crunchies off the tank. Little fast bullets that wouldn't damage the paintjob and lots of them. And way more PC than asking your wingman to scratch your back with his m240...

_________________"Suppose they gave a war, and nobody came?
Why then, the war would come to you!"
(Bertolt Brecht)

There's a big difference between an AI rifle and an AICS stock mounted to a Remington based rifle. As far as a real AI goes, no mods necessary. The only work of any substance I've done is some barrel mods - fluting, threading to accept devices, and supplying thread protectors. In my opinion, it truly is as close to perfect right out of the box as could be. The thumbhole stock, although unconventional, allows the chassis to do what it's designed to do - support, harmonic regulation, consistency, and strength. The receiver is permanently mounted to the chassis. You can't get anywhere near the stability with a Remington based system. It doesn't matter what you bed in (we use titanium and steel reinforced compounds), pillars or not, there are vertain features in a Remington that contribute to it's weakness in comparison to AIs. Look at the receiver mass in relation to port size. Doesn't take much to see that the AI is obviously a more rigid receiver. The separate recoil lug, coupled with a threaded barrel shank less than half the length of that found on an AI also indicate areas where stress, vibration, and simply the weight the receiver must support affect accuracy potential.

Simply put, Everyone can't have an AI. They cost a lot, and there aren't enough to go around. But if you're fortunate enough to get a chance at one, and it doesn't require the sale of a child, get it. Nothing else compares.

I have hanging in the shop a memento from my days of shooting with Malcolm Cooper - it's a turning from 10th Group SF(A) Sotic. Malcolm and I were invited to a shoot at FT. Carson where we ...well, we demonstrated "potential" shortcomings in the M24 SWS. Malcolm fired several sub 6" 10 shot groups in a mild breeze at 1000, after which we were reprimanded by the range officer for shooting prairie dogs in the impact area beyond the 1000 yard butts.

The turning reads "In appreciation for "demonstrating" the capabilities of the Accuracy International Sniper Weapons System". I suppose that's about all the compliment they could muster after being soundly thrashed by a couple of civilians.

I had the priviledege of shooting with Malcolm at numerous competitions and demonstrations both here and in the UK. At one match at Bisley, other competitors gathered around Malcolm, who was a real celebrity in UK shooting circles, trying to apply pressure to get AI to make rifles that were civilian legal in the UK (AI sniper rifles are not). It struck me as very telling, that guys who could have literally anything but an AI, only wanted an AI. Wonder why?

Ted, I don't know much about AI's, but-- the Cooper name sounds familiar. Cooper barrels? This the same guy? Something about 5R, isn't that a rifling form that is peculiar to Cooper barrels, or am I getting things mixed up now?

Something about 5R, isn't that a rifling form that is peculiar to Cooper barrels, or am I getting things mixed up now?

Mike Rock is probably the most popular 5R Barrel Maker. Broughton has it too and it's called 5C - (I've heard that he didn't use the R out of respect for Mike). Mike's 5R barrels are used on the M24 platform - alteast they were - but I've heard that Remington is making copies as well.

The 5R is denoted for the 5 Lands (Radiused Corners)

I've got one on my GA Precision TIS Rifle. I've found that it cleans up better than any other barrel I've had. There is very little copper fouling. You'll often find that 5R type barrels are a bit faster than tpyical barrels which is usually associated with their tight specs - but they are supposed to leak less gas.

Ned, you lust after a Sako TRG in .338 Lapua Magnum? Guess what I have in the rack next to a PS-90? Yes, very cool stuff, the TRG. When I visited the Sako plant, I made short order of a boulder on the rifle range with a .338. I'm not sure what was more surprising to my hosts, that a gun writer would be daft enough to try rapid fire offhand with a bolt gun, or that he could actually hit stuff.

I will forever begrudge you having travelled to the land of my ancestors, moreso for having full access to all the fine stuff they are so well known for (talking guns here). Kidding of course. I recall now you said you had one.... [armtwist] oh, all right, send 'er over [/armtwist].

Malcolm Cooper, if I'm not confusing people, was a world-class target shooter from England. And possibly still is, or could be.

I've seen a very abbreviated list of his achievements in international competition. Although an incomplete list, it was very impressive indeed.
IIRC, one of the ranges at Bisley is named after him (or perhaps another Malcolm Cooper?).

I think I have an issue of Precision Shooting magazine from recent years that has a writeup on him. If I run across it, I'll re-read and update here.

I have a feeling the international competition part his shooting life is just scratching the surface, but it's all I've read much about.

An off the shelf AI-AW (26) with the user's choice of 1.0, 1.5, or 2.0 stock configuration is the heat for anything 308 can do. Get the regular bare AI receiver with the AI dovetail and use the AI single-piece scope mount, unless you absolutely need to use some funky N.V. device.

I have a 24" AWP with a 1.5 stock. Had GA Precision thread the barrel for the AI brake or a can. With the JET screwed on, I used the same "brake" dope out to 1000 and made hits. I have shot 5500+ rounds since 3/2005 through it. Have had the barrel and scope totally removed from the rifle, screwed back on, and it shot within 1/4" of the original POI, which is possibly just my shooter error.

The only thing I'd really like to see in the AW is a "light" model with a 22" thin or ABS carbon barrel and a bunch of relief cuts in the mag well, stock, and fore-tube.

The only other platforms that provide some of the critical features of the AW for MOR-style shooting is a Surgeon + Badger AICS bottom metal, and the Tubb 2000.

I have an AI 338 AWSM also. Comparing it to the SAKO TRG-42 is a much closer thing. A 42-owning friend of mine and I have been comparing them head to head for the last two months and are hard pressed to find significant differences in accuracy.

The one think I really like about the TRG vs. the AW is that the stock/grip configuration gives me a place for my strong-side thumb (rear of pistol grip) which is a nice counter position vs. the trigger finger.

I noticed someone mentioned considering a GA cusom rifle instead of an AI. How much difference is there between the two manufacturers and how does the accuracy compare between rifles of the same caliber?

not only is the AI 50 somewhere in the $14k range, ammo has reached an all time high at $4-8/round from most sources, since one of the major brass throwers got recently shut down to certain "questionable" practices.

I'd go with the new, Serbu gas gun, save a few bills and stock up on ammo.

The AI-AW50, the bolt-action, lists for $13k and can be had for a little less. The new semi-auto is not on the market yet. 50BMG reloading can be done for less than $.50/round with the surplus bullets, provided you stocked up on components smartly.

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